Game 15: Cavs at Magic

WHAT HAPPENED: There's a decent chance Cavs coach Byron Scott will be $25,000 poorer on Saturday.

He complained about the officiating in Saturday's game in Orlando. Personally, it didn't seem like it was poorly officiated. But, obviously, he'll see things that I don't.

Scott was irate when he asked for an explanation about a call, and got a cold shoulder. "You ask a question about a certain call and they say, 'I really don't know.' Get another job."

The officials were Ed Malloy, Bennie Adams and Kevin Fehr.

It didn't seem like the crew was favoring the Magic. The Cavs had 25 personal fouls called on them, compared to 20 by Orlando.

The plan was to send Magic center Dwight Howard to the foul line. He made 13 of 24 attempts on the night. He came into the game shooting 54 percent from the line. The strategy was sound.

If you double-team Howard, he'll find the open perimeter shooters. As it was, the Magic outscored the Cavs from behind the arc, 52-24. You'll notice in big games against good teams, they Cavs get explointed from 3-point range.

Game 14: Bucks at Cavs

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs got a huge break when Bucks center Andrew Bogut was held out of the game with back spasms.

The Cavs took advantage of the situation, even though they were outrebounded, 45-40.

They did it by defending. They held the Bucks to 37.8 percent shooting from the field. In the second half, the Cavs outscored the Bucks, 49-37, and held them to 34 percent shooting.

Bucks guard Brandon Jennings was 1 of 10 from the field for three points against the Cavs. He was guarding Mo Williams on the game-winning shot. Afterward, when asked about the play, Jennings said, "It was a lucky shot."

Nice.

Just shut up. When you play as poorly as you did on Wednesday, just give the opponent its due and move on. Don't compound the problem.

Game 13: Cavs at Pacers

WHAT HAPPENED: The Pacers are playing inspired basketball. Some thought they might experience heavy legs for the Cavs game, but that was anything but the case.

The Pacers dusted the Miami Heat on Monday, 93-77, in South Florida. They blew home and arrived in Indiana about 2:30 a.m. One would think the fact that Tuesday's game was the tail end of a back-to-back set would be a factor.

But so was the Pacers' ability to score. They hung 62 points on the Cavs in the first half on Tuesday and never looked back.

The Cavs outscored the Pacers in the fourth quarter, 33-17, to make the score look respectable. It wasn't.

The Pacers exploit the Cavs' perimeter defense with their shooting. They outscored the Cavs from behind the arc, 36-9. In the two games, they have outscored the Cavs from long distance, 66-15.

Forward Danny Granger, playing like he wants to be in the All-Star Game, has had 34 and 24 points in the two games against the Cavs. He's also been 10 of 17 from behind the arc.

Cavs coach Byron Scott harped on his team's defense in practice on Monday. It made little impact with the players, who are still playing soft on the defensive end.

The Cavs host the Bucks on Wednesday. It could be more of the same problems for the Cavs.

Game 11: Cavs at Hornets

WHAT HAPPENED: Cavs coach Byron Scott said the starting lineup is in an "adjustment period."

There has been injuries to key personnel, namely Anderson Varejao and Mo Williams, but they are whole once again. The problem is the starters combined for just 36 points. The high man was Varejao, who had 10 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and one block. He was just 4 of 14 from the field.

The Cavs are encouraging Andy to take more shots, but no one wants him to be the team leader. The Hornets' two bigs, David West and Emeka Okafor, swatted six shots between them.

The Cavs' bench, No. 1 in the NBA in scoring, is now averaging a league-high 46 points. They combined for a season-high 65 on Friday against the Hornets. Forward Antawn Jamison had a season-high 20 points and 11 rebounds.

There was a lot of pre-game banter about Hornets point guard Chris Paul. There's no question he's one of the best - if not the best - point guards in the NBA. But the player that usually pounds the Cavs is West. The former Xavier University product finished with a season-high 34 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

The Cavs welcomed back point guard Mo Williams. He ended with eight points and two assists in 21 minutes.

The Cavs were healthy for only the third game this season. They'll need everyone - and more - in the two weekend games in New Orleans and San Antonio.

BRUISED SHOULDER - Cavs guard Daniel Gibson played with a bruised right shoulder. The injury was suffered in practice, courtesy of teammate Ryan Hollins.

"Sitting on the bench, it gets stiff on you," Gibson said. "It's just working yourself into the game and getting a nice sweat going. It took me getting hit on it to actually feel comfortable, like I could get out there and play with no fear."

Game 10: 76ers at Cavs

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs' shaky defense came through in flying colors and held the Sixers to 43 percent shooting, 36 percent in the second half.

They held guard Jrue Holiday to just 11 points, 18 fewer than he scored on Nov. 5.

Once again, forward J.J. Hickson appeared to be lost on the boards. He had two rebounds for the second game in a row. He sat for the last 18 minutes of the game and then ducked out of the locker room before the media was allowed to enter.

Coach Byron Scott is obviously trying to send him a message: Rebound or you'll sit. Scott said he was just trying to win the game and played veteran Antawn Jamison for 18 minutes in the second half.

Cavs center Anderson Varejao, the team's top overall defender, returned to the lineup wearing a flak jacket they got from the Cleveland Browns. He played 30 minutes in his return from a one-game absence with bruised ribs. He had nine points, five rebounds and one block.

The Cavs missed him desperately on the defensive end.

Guard Mo Williams, suffering from a strained groin, is inactive for the second consecutive game.

Coach Byron Scott is going to be extremely cautious with Williams.

Sixers guard Evan Turner, who has already lost more games with the Sixers (9) than he did last season at Ohio State, tied his career high with 16 points. He also had nine rebounds and four turnovers. He was 4 of 13 from the field, 1 of 3 from the 3-point line.

It was the first shot he's made this season from behind the arc. He's now 1 of 9 on the season.

Game 9: Pacers at Cavs

WHAT HAPPENED: Everyone was convinced before the game that center Anderson Varejao would be in the lineup. It proved to be nothing more than rumor when Cavs athletic trainer Max Benton came out of the trainer's room and informed the public-relations staff that Varejao and guard Mo Williams would be inactive.

Williams' groin strain will keep him on the sidelines for at least a week, maybe more. He'll be missed, too, since Ramon Sessions is a bit limited offensively.

Ryan Hollins, who started at center with Varejao out, brings only a fraction of what Varejao offers on the defensive end. He was limited in the second half for the second consecutive game because of his pick-and-roll defense.

I picked the Pacers to finish in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. I believe they are one of the teams the Cavs must overtake to make the playoffs.

Judging by what I saw on Saturday, that's going to be difficult. It's not that the Pacers are world-beaters by any means, but they have way more offensive firepower than the Cavs.

Game 8: Nets at Cavs

WHAT HAPPENED: So much for that supreme conditioning stuff. The Cavs ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. It resulted in the Nets running them off the court in the fourth quarter, 28-18.

This team can't withstand even a few injuries. Guard Mo Williams suffered another groin injury on Wednesday. He could miss some considerable time, even though he said he expects to play against the Pacers on Saturday.

They were just rounding into shape. They were completely healthy for about a game and a half. Luckily, they have some depth in the backcourt.

Ramon Sessions might move into the starting lineup if Williams is unable to play. Coach Byron Scott is extremely cautious with injuries. Observers would be shocked if Williams plays on Saturday.

The Nets snapped a four-game losing streak on Wednesday. They had also lost nine in a row to the Cavs. The Cavs had their modest three-game winning streak snapped.

Game 7: Cavs at Nets

WHAT HAPPENED: Coach Byron Scott played the hot hand and went with backup guard Ramon Sessions in the fourth quarter. Sessions responded with eight of his 15 points and four of his five assists in the final quarter.

Starter Mo Williams, who came into the game a 20-point scorer, suffered through a 1-for-12 shooting night and was benched for the fourth quarter.

It proved to be the smart move, as the Cavs held off the Nets, who lost their fifth consecutive game.

The Cavs, meanwhile, have won three in a row on the road. They've now won nine in a row over the Nets.

The Cavs had their entire team intact for the first time this season. Forward Antawn Jamison had a season-high 15 points and eight rebounds. He had missed the previous three games with a sore left knee.

He helped the Cavs' bench, which scored 52 points on the night.

Forward J.J. Hickson had 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Daniel Gibson had 15 points and four assists.

Forward Travis Outlaw, a free-agent signee in the offseason, had a game-high 27 points for the Nets.

Game 6: Cavs at Wizards

WHAT HAPPENED: The Wizards backcourt grabbed all the headlines. The Cavs backcourt grabbed the win.

Mo Williams and Boobie Gibson are becoming quite a formidable duo. They combined for 47 points on Saturday in the Cavs win at Washington.

Wizards point guard John Wall is being touted as the Rookie of the Year. It's hard to argue with that after his quick start.

He's averaging 21 points and 9.5 assists on the season. In a game against Philadelphia, he had nine steals. The kid is for real.

But so are the Cavs.

The Cavs guard were every bit as good as Washington's on Saturday.

Forward Antawn Jamison was on the inactive list for the third consecutive game with a sore left knee. He could play on Tuesday in New Jersey. That way he can take Sunday off and get treatment on his knee.

Cavs center Anderson Varejao had a record-setting night in Philadelphia with 23 points and 12 rebounds - his second career 20/10 game - as well as making all 10 field goals. He ran into shot-blocking phenom Javale McGee on Saturday. McGee blocked three shots against the Cavs.

'NICE' WORK: The Wizards' in-game promotions people have a skit they do when the opposing team is announced. For all the Cavs' starters, they show their picture and a negative stat under their name.

Here's what they had to say about the Cavs:

J.J Hickson - his 13 turnovers are second highest on the team
Jamario Moon - he's missed 80 percent of his 3-pointers
Anderson Varejao - he only has one steal on the season
Mo Williams - he only has one block on the season
Anthony Parker - he's the oldest player on the team at 35

Game 5: Cavs at Sixers

WHAT HAPPENED: The Sixers have many, many nice young pieces. They just don't fit together very well just yet. Things looked extremely bleak for the Cavs early in the fourth quarter.

Sixers guards Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams were a load. Holiday scored a career-high 29 and did whatever he wanted on the court.

But the Cavs' backcourt responded with the game on the line. Boobie Gibson is playing as well as he's ever played. He had 15 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. Mo Williams added 22 points and seven assists.

It didn't hurt that the Cavs erupted for 44 points in the fourth quarter.

With the exception of the Toronto game, the Cavs played well during stretches of every game. This is only the second time they've been able to taste victory. They know they need to play for 48 minutes to win in the NBA, even against lower-rung teams like the Sixers.

Forward Antawn Jamison won't play on Friday because of a sore left knee. He might come back against his old team in Washington on Saturday, but don't count on it. There's a greater chance he'll play at New Jersey on Tuesday.

Game 4: Hawks at Cavs

WHAT HAPPENED: Guard Mo Williams was pretty good in his season debut. He had 12 points and two assists in 25 minutes. He made 4 of 12 shots, 2 of 6 from the arc.

He made a few bad decisions and took a few questionable shots. But he played hard, aggressive and with energy.

It seemed like Ramon Sessions, who started the first three games, went into a shell on Tuesday. He had seven points and three assists.

Coach Byron Scott said Williams will start against Philadelphia on Friday. Maybe he'll provide the spark to end this three-game losing streak.

J.J. Hickson had a career-high 31 points against the Hawks, but he played fewer minutes than both Anderson Varejao and Jamario Moon. When a player is scoring like he was - he made 11 of 17 shots - one wants to milk every point he has. This team doesn't have enough scoring as it is.

Guard Daniel Gibson had an off night shooting, just 3 of 10. He did pull down a career-high seven rebounds.

There weren't enough playmakers against the Hawks. The Cavs managed just 15 assists, as Varejao and Sessions each had three assists.